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Companies Looking to Buck the Transportation Technology

Based out of California, Peloton Technologies is pioneering the use of vehicle to vehicle communication to tackle two of the trucking industry’s largest problems – fuel and safety. By using radar sensors, intelligent braking, video screens, and a wireless link, Peloton makes it possible for two trucks to connect in a “platoon,” or “closer together than would normally be safe“.

The two trucks are able to get as close as 20 feet from each other while platooning in order to take advantage of fuel-saving aerodynamics. Peloton reports fuel savings of 10% for the second truck and 4.5% for the lead truck in a platoon. The trucks are able to get this close thanks to Peloton’s active safety system which wirelessly links the trucks. The wireless link controls the truck’s acceleration and braking, while radar detects potential dangers up ahead. The linked trucks react within a “fraction of a second” whereas a truck driver needs up to two seconds to react to changes in conditions. While the wireless link controls acceleration and braking, drivers still have complete control of the truck. Even while trucks aren’t platooning, Peloton is making trucking safer with the use of video screens in cabs to monitor blind spots.

Software applications are also shaking up the transportation technology industry by making once mundane, paper-heavy tasks quick and electronic. A new product in the trucking industry, KeepTruckin, is a mobile app logbook designed to let truck drivers “quickly and easily enter their hours on their smartphone.” In the past, truckers had to record their hours on paper logs, then either mail or fax them to dispatchers. As the DOT’s rules for Hours of Service became more complex, drivers and fleet managers needed a new way to manage their logs. However, the KeepTruckin app is more than a way to monitor driver hours. The app will automatically let drivers know if they are in danger of Hours of Service Violations, helping fleets improve their CSA scores. Also, the app allows for fleet tracking and load status monitoring for dispatchers to effectively stay on top of their fleet’s whereabouts.

These electronic tools are making tasks that used to require paper data entry quick and efficient while also providing companies greater visibility. Check out KeepTruckin’s video to learn more about the app allowing truckers to maintain their logbook easier than ever before.

While the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience is still a prototype, Walmart is not only attempting to improve its own fleet efficiency, but also advance the future of the entire trucking industry with this application transportation technology. Check outWalmart’s video on the W.A.V.E. to learn even more.

Staxxon folds containers vertically by collapsing the doors of the container and pushing the outer walls of the container in towards each other. With this method, five empty, collapsed containers can fit into the same space as one normal, non-folding container. Retrofitting old containers to be collapsable rather than designing and building completely new containers is another hallmark of Staxxon’s sustainable business model.